This invention relates to a cutting apparatus for rubber articles, in particular the removal of longitudinal strips from a conveyor belt.
Longitudinal or transverse grooves or channels are desirable in certain types of rubber conveyor belts. The channels may be useful to allow liquids to run off the conveyor belt or for stripping away the covers of the conveyor for the purpose of applying a mechanical fastener to splice belt ends together. Removal of the covers of a conveyor belt can be accomplished with difficulty by hand tools which are used to cut the rubber covers from the reinforcement. Such hand tools are generally limited to the removal of a few centimeters of cover from the edge of a belt. In certain belt designs it is desirable to remove a portion of the belt cover, either the top cover or the bottom cover, to enhance flexibility of the belt at that localized position. This is useful to promote troughing of the belt to enclose greater loads for a given conveyor width. These longitudinal grooves or channels must extend the full running length of the belt. A previously known method for providing such a full length longitudinal groove in a rubber belt cover is to mold the channel into the rubber belt cover during vulcanization of the belt. Another known method is to use a buffing apparatus similar to the devices used to buff off rubber tread prior to retreading a tire carcass. Sandstone wheels are also useful as buffing devices but all buffing operations generate objectionable dust and fragments of rubber. In addition, smoke and other vapors may be generated which are environmentally objectionable and this is true especially where very long longitudinal grooves are being provided in the belt cover.
This invention provides an apparatus and method useful in producing longitudinal grooves in a previously cured rubber belt structure. An advantage of the apparatus is that it can provide an exactly controlled depth of cut as well as width and profile of the groove being cut in the belt cover. The apparatus is adapted to provide a strip of indeterminate length and may be used continuously to provide exact dimension grooves in very long length conveyor belt by attachment to appropriate anchoring devices.